Le Horla and Others

A book authored in French that features a wonderful compilation of short stories by the author. The lead story, La Horla, is a masterfully written short horror story that will have you siting on edge. The story starts the book off with a bang and continues to delight. Maupassant is a master storyteller and every genre he enters he succeeds at. La Horla has often been described as the best short horror story ever written. Maupassant was known to author other genres including satire, which is the opposite of his famous horror short story.

The book is originally authored in French, Maupassant’s native tongue, but it is easy to read and follow with minimal effort. The feature story starts off as some random journal entries. Over a short period odd things begin to happen in his life. He watches a Brazilian ship pass down the Seine and soon after begins experiencing strange effects. He suddenly catches a fever and depression sets in. Suddenly he begins experiencing nightmares about an invisible entity entering his room and wakes up often with cold sweats.  Strangely, any time he walks along the river he experiences more and dramatic symptoms. The story progresses from there and gets more and more exciting. The books other offerings will not disappoint you and it is worth reading cover to cover.